Welcome

Welcome to the Resource Library, the home for the U3A Network NSW educational course material. The material provided can be used by any U3A organization for the benefit of its members. On the other hand any individual may find the resources of interest for their own benefit.

Explore the library website to see what changes we have made

You can download most of the material

Click on the news page at the right to find out more

History

In the Newslink, October, 2005, Mel Davies wrote,

“An examination of U3A programmes reveals an amazing variety and scope of courses and activities on offer, Many many hours are devoted to the development of these courses, yet most of them will only be offered once. What a waste! In addition, consider the organisational expertise and wisdom built up by each U3A over time as a result of lessons learned through experience, which we all know is the best teacher! Think how valuable such information would be to new U3As. So – why don’t we share?”

Following the AGM at Merimbulah in 2006, where the project was discussed, the U3A Network – NSW Committee met in Sydney and it was decided that a resource library be established.

If you have looked at the Resource Library in the past, you will find that it has already changed considerably. If you are seeking more information, click HERE
First, we would like to thank all those who have contributed the items in the catalogue. We are always on the lookout for courses which will be of value for group learning or individuals. At first these items needed to be accessed through the library manager, but now, most of the courses can be downloaded directly from the site. To download items get more information HERE

LINKS

Access to course material is directly available from the links provided. A brief outline of the courses is provided here:

Aerobics for the Brain

The Brain Food Factory, encourages people to actively feed their brains with interesting fun things to do to keep those brain cells working well. These games are regarded as food for the brain, and it’s all there … for FREE!

All about Geography

How fast does the Earth spin? Find out at this link. Also obtain information about the culture, geography, and history of any country on earth. Discover facts, flags, and maps for each country. And here are just some more of the items treated on the site:- Statistics, Lists, & Trivia; Country Information; Cultural Geography; Physical Geography; Population Statistics; Climate Change and Issues.

Frank Smitha’s History Site – Macrohistory

Frank Smitha’s historical timeline runs from 65,000BCE to the present. He says, “The purpose of the site is to tell the story of our ancestors, our parents and people today. The little money that it makes pays a few bills for a most frugal lifestyle.”

The contents, according to his home page is as follows: The World Timeline: 200,000BCE to 2007CE and beyond.

How to Solve Sudoku Puzzles

Solving sudoku puzzles is easier than it looks, and all but the very hardest puzzles can be solved using just a few simple techniques. You don’t need any maths, and you don’t need to guess. It’s all done by observation and logic, and the most important thing is to stay 100% accurate at all times. This page covers techniques that will solve most puzzles up to (and including) ‘fiendish’ or ‘very hard’ rating.

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg offers over 42,000 free ebooks: choose among free epub books, free kindle books, download them or read them online. The site carries high quality ebooks: All ebooks were previously published by bona fide publishers. They have been digitalised and diligently proofread with the help of thousands of volunteers. No fee or registration is required.

Safe Drive Training

Our thanks to U3A member Michael Shannon for this information. From the link you can purchase a Safe Driving DVD for $35, which can be used as the basis for a series of sessions on improving/renewing driving skills. The NRMA uses a modified version of the DVD as part of their safer drivers program.

Third Age Learning in a Digital World

At the 2015 NSW Network Conference Tony Whittingham provided us with an excellent presentation and workshop about future directions for U3A. At this link you will find resources used to support the presentation. Please review the resources and use them to consider future directions U3A may take. Learn about major recent developments in education that benefit seniors and enable us to learn about anything, at anytime, using free learning resources from the world’s great universities and colleges.

Top College Online Courses and Classes

Over 500 courses from the world’s leading universities – right at your fingertips. This is a free and comprehensive resource that is a collection of open college courses spanning videos, audio lectures, and notes given by professors at Harvard, Princeton and MIT. Courses such as iPhone Application Development from Stanford and Cyber Humor from Oxford are offered. This is a wonderful resource for those looking to explore additional educational topics and to see what a college level course has to offer.

U3A Online

U3A Online offers short online courses for older people, especially those who are geographically, physically or socially isolated. This site is a world-first virtual University of the Third Age delivering online learning via the Internet. All that’s needed to study online is access to a computer with an Internet connection – and some basic computing skills.

Weather and Climate Change

The value of weather and climate information is underpinned by knowledge of what it means for your locality, enterprise or activity. This page introduces some key references and links to other resources that may assist decision making.

World Nuclear Association: Radiation and Life

This is a site by the World Nuclear Profession. It is excellent for those who have an interest in Science. Diagrams support the text in explaining Radiation and Life. Check on an up-to-date paper on Australia’s Uranium and Nuclear Power prospects.